He is alleged to have met three unidentified individuals there, telling them the Naturei Karte does not recognize Israel and wants to replace the country’s current government with one run by non-Jews.

The suspect allegedly offered to murder a Zionist. An Iranian embassy official gave him a note with an Iranian email account to check for a message.

The suspect did not use his home telephone or computer to contact Iran, instead using public telephones to contact the embassy in Berlin, according to Ynetnews.com .

Although the front door to his Jerusalem home is adorned with anti-Zionist stickers, the defendant is a member of a relatively moderate faction of the Naturei Karta that opposes cooperation with the Arab world against Israel.

Friends of the defendant described him as a poorly educated eccentric who is emotionally unbalanced. His attorney said none of the man’s actions had harmed Israel and that the charges involve events from more than two years ago.